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Well here's what we have here, we had two oil heaters installed for our greenhouse in the fall and they won't pass inspection because of the clearance of the vent pipe through the wall which is basically going theough a piece of sheetmetal mounted on 2x4 framing. It's not fancy but this is what we have done for years and what every nursery does in town. I was told to get the vent piping that would make us meet the code requirements would be $800 per heater, a lil steep and moving the framing out would require almost a 4' square piece of sheet metal for each heater, not good when you want to let in as much sunlight as posible. Well, anyway the calls to the building department to try to resolve this hasn't really helped and attempts to get our contractor back out..... well, he doesn't want to do it to make a point. He made a point, won't be doing any more work here. We just want it finished, we have enough handy people here that do most of the construction, electrical and plumbing work, the only thing we do sub out out is the heating work (the only thing that didn't pass inspection. Figuring we can get someone here to build the heat shields....just need an idea of what material we would need an maybe a place to find a template or something to guide us along.

Judgimng from where I live it sounds like the inspector wants a B-vent instaled this usually requires one inch clearance from combustble materials . What exactly did the inspector tell you to do and use ? 800.00 dollars for a double wall flue sounds very reasonable without knowing the amount of elbows and lengths of run. if you told me it was 2 feet with no elbows I would expect it to be 400.00 dollars.

Well here's what we have here, we had two oil heaters installed for our greenhouse in the fall and they won't pass inspection because of the clearance of the vent pipe through the wall which is basically going theough a piece of sheetmetal mounted on 2x4 framing. It's not fancy but this is what we have done for years and what every nursery does in town. I was told to get the vent piping that would make us meet the code requirements would be $800 per heater, a lil steep and moving the framing out would require almost a 4' square piece of sheet metal for each heater, not good when you want to let in as much sunlight as posible. Well, anyway the calls to the building department to try to resolve this hasn't really helped and attempts to get our contractor back out..... well, he doesn't want to do it to make a point. He made a point, won't be doing any more work here. We just want it finished, we have enough handy people here that do most of the construction, electrical and plumbing work, the only thing we do sub out out is the heating work (the only thing that didn't pass inspection. Figuring we can get someone here to build the heat shields....just need an idea of what material we would need an maybe a place to find a template or something to guide us along.

There are 2 90 elbows and about 10' of strait pipe, this is all 8" vent pipe, we would have to go for triple wall stainless, just the material cost of $800 per heater. The inspector said if we mounted a sheet metal heat shield 1" from the framing and extending out past the 2x4's we would be ok. we have a 2' sqaure opening covered with sheetmetal with an 8" pipe going through the middle of it. we don't make the combustable clearance to the 2x4' frame. We just never worked with sheetmetal before and haven't seen a shield like this before.

Definitely looking at doing it right, that's why we went with a HVAC contractor... but he didn't do it right, the heat shield is acceptable and a right way of doing it and that's what we are looking to do.

Didn't catch the fuel oil part, I am a very fast reader because I skip a lot of it.

I think you just need to get a sheet metal contractor and get it done right. There just isn't much opprotunity here to save any money by doing it yourself. Sometimes there is sometimes sometimes there isn't this is an isn't.

We probably will get a sheet metal contractor and watch what he is doing, will probably take him at most an hour to get it done, it is more of an issue of time verses money. Everything we build here exceeds code requirements, every inspector has complimented our work down to even the detail in the electrical wiring, which I do myself, my uncle taught me how to do that. Only thing i didn't install was electric service on the pole..i hate heights.

Sometimes its not a matter of who will do it right or even better. There are plenty of home and business owners that do very well at do it yourself projects even as they go through the learning curve. I just thought that your situation is more of a why take the liability of doing it yourself you are dealing with the public in an open to the public enclosed area, what if one of your customers called you the day after they spent an hour in your stoe and started asking why it smelled of fuel oil in your place and then told you that they got sick in your store, this happens all of the time and you are in one hell of a better situation when you have a receipt for work completed and the inspectors signature on your occupancy permit when yo go to court to defend the suit they bring against you.

HI Eddy,
understand the liability thing, if the buildings were open to the public, but i know the learning curve all too well too, i appreciated your idea. As for the oil smell or fumes, it would kill our plants it's the point of the heat, we are a growing operation not open to the public and we are exempt from some permitting due to right to farm regulations in our state and no occupancy permit or license is issued. What we have is considered basically heat in a temporary farm structure but electrical, plumbing and fire permits are required. Heaters work great btw, no fumes no oil smell, just need that darn shield, think i will make a couple calls in the morning.